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by princessxdizzy (Altun_Heiral)



Series: Patchwork Hearts [2]
Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Also more 5.0 Spoilers ahoy, F/F, Featuring Reina the eternal tease, They're mentioned in passing lmao, This mostly focuses on Altun and Reina
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-28
Updated: 2020-07-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:01:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25578484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Altun_Heiral/pseuds/princessxdizzy
Summary: At the end of the battle, Reina somehow comes out hale and whole, free of the light consuming her. Much to the delight of Altun, who hadn't been ready to imagine a future without her at her side.
Relationships: Warrior of Light/Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV)
Series: Patchwork Hearts [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1838713





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**Author's Note:**

> This is meant to come right after 'Burn Away'. It focuses more on Reina and Altun healing and coping after the battle. Also features Reina teasing Altun, which is something she is very well known for doing.

Altun had gone and pushed her way past the Scions by this point, coughing and sputtering. She was positive she was sporting more than a few bruises and at least two cracked, if not broken ribs. That didn’t matter right now. She could heal them herself later with her own magic. She just needed to get to Reina. That’s all she wanted. Altun could see her standing solemnly upward, as the faded body of Emet-Selch rose into the once again blue sky. Gods did her body hurt all over. Of all the fights she’d ever been in, all the times her and Reina had gotten up to some form of trouble, never had she remembered her body aching this bad.

She stopped just short of Reina, bending over slightly, hands on her knees in an attempt to catch her breath. Although she knew Reina was standing there, appearing to be hale and whole, she was still found she was scared to look up.Altun was trying to find her voice. She stood up, wincing as she did. Reina had turned around to face her, a smile on her face. Damn that smile of hers. Sure, Altun loved the smile she made when she teased her, but there was something about this smile that tugged at her heartstrings. She had been about to close the distance but Reina had already crossed the space to meet her, placing her lips gently against Altun’s forehead. Altun could feel her face burning up as she realized Reina had just kissed her forehead in front of the entirety of the Scions.

“Reina!” Altun let out a small whining noise, but she only felt Reina’s lips form a smile against her skin. She let out a huff, before surrendering in favour to wrap her arms around Reina’s waist. In return she felt Reina remove her lips from her forehead and return the embrace. Altun let out a sigh of contentment. It was over, finally. It was all over, and Reina was still her with her. Reina was alive. She was alive. They were both alive. When she had awoke this morning, she had not thought all this possible. That they would find the solution, someway, and that Reina would still be her with her.

Altun felt Reina pull back so that she could glance at her. Altun felt her face burning up slightly again. Usually all of Reina’s affections towards her were teasing, and not nearly as tender as all of this. Just as she had mere hours before, Reina’s forehead was against her own. The sentimentalism of the situation was making Altun want to burst into tears. Reina pulled back, smiling at her, though it walked a finer line closer that of her mischievous nature. Before Altun could figure out what had happened, Reina had both her hands gently on her face and her lips against her own. The momentary shock sent Altun’s tail standing straight up as she attempted to register what was happening. Although, once she had, she eased into Reina’s touch, though somewhat reluctantly due to the abnormally public display of affections. If there weren’t people around, especially the Scions, Altun would have been tugging Reina closer to her. However, she let the kiss slide by, instead humming against Reina’s lips, which only made her chuckle slightly before pulling away.

“You weren’t the one per say to find the solution, but there was a solution.” Reina said quietly, reaching up to brush some of the stray hair that had escaped Altun’s ponytail from her eyes. Altun let out a small laugh, a tired laugh. Reina was clearly back to her matter of fact statements. Even if Altun hadn’t been the one with the solution, to find the solution, she wasn’t going to deny she was grateful the gods didn’t take Reina away from her too. Judging by the glowing axe of light stuck in the ground behind them, Altun could only assume she was free of the light that was killing her completely. Though she suspected Y’shtola or Ryne would give a full report on that matter as soon as the two of them decided to stop having a moment. Yet, the Scions did nothing to stop their moment so it would seem. Perhaps they understood that just for a few minutes, it was alright for them to just let her and Reina be together, as if it was just the two of them.

“Reina?” Altun said, humming slightly to herself. “Let’s go home.” Altun didn’t care if she meant the Crystarium as home, or the Source as home. She just wanted to go home with Reina. This journey had been long, cumbersome, tiring, and an emotional strain. Altun never regretted any journey with Reina. However, this is one of the few times she simply just wanted to take Reina’s hand and go back home. While she knew there would most likely be a celebration, people wanting to here how Reina accomplished it all, seeking the story from the hero herself. She knew everyone would be vying for her attention. Altun didn’t mind in the end, as long as her and Reina went home together, and she got some sort of alone time with her tonight, just for them to enjoy comfortable silence. Perhaps out on the balcony of her inn room again if they could manage to sneak away in time.

Back at the Crystarium, Altun had been correct about the celebration. It was rather late into the night now, and she had found herself perched on one of the railings on the upper part of the Crystalline Mean. Her tail was swinging slowly over the edge of the rail as she watched the people down below speaking to Reina of her journey, and ultimately her victory. She couldn’t help but smile somewhat, seeing Reina down below her, smiling and laughing, telling all of the children her story. She wondered if they would remember Reina’s story long after they had returned home to the Source. Perhaps they could still travel back and forth somehow, as they could right now. Her eyes found the stars in the sky above her. It was so beautiful here. Sometimes she wished she could stay here, even though she knew this was impossible for not only her, but Reina and the Scions as well.

Reina glanced up to the railing where Altun had perched herself, smiling gently up at her. She knew Altun wasn’t much for large gatherings, nor for attention. She was sure if Altun had come down there, she’d be getting asked just as many questions. She had after all, been by Reina’s side this whole time. Wherever Reina was, Altun was never far behind. Altun still had her eyes upturned to the stars, and had failed to notice Reina’s silent admiration for her. By the time Altun had returned her gaze to the party below her, Reina had already resumed telling a group of children about their final battle. She knew Reina would be explaining things further into the night and Altun was exhausted, and had nearly forgotten she had to re bandage some of her minor wounds that she had chose not to heal with magic.

Carefully, Altun snuck past the large groups of people, quietly making her way to The Pendants. She approached the desk, letting them know she was going to head to her room, but if Reina should need her, to tell her that is where she would be. Once in her room she began searching her pack for her various salves and bandages. Altun began discarding her normal traveling clothes before dressing in a loose shirt and shorts combo. She crawled into bed, laying out the salves and bandages in front of her. Altun winced as she began peeling back the bandage on her upper thigh. The wound was near and old scar from her childhood, and she was sure this one would scar as well. There was a fair amount of bruising and the cut was still festering slightly.

Altun dipped her fingers into the salve and carefully applied it to the cut, wincing slightly. Gods, this was gonna be painful for a while. She started to regret not healing it with magic like she had her broken ribs. She continued to apply the salve carefully when a knock at her door caught her attention. Altun shouted to the person on the other end that they could enter. A smile formed on her face when the door creaked open and the familiar clanking and clamouring of armour could be heard. She however kept her attention on the matter at hand as she began wrapping a new bandage around her leg carefully.

“Let me help.” Reina stripped off the heavier and clunkier bits of her armour so that she was wearing that nice spiffy under outfit that she kept on under her armour. Altun usually called it the brown sack look, to where Reina would only shake her head, or shake her head with an added laugh. Altun shifted slight to make room for Reina who settled in close next to her. Humming slightly, Reina began pulling off a bandage near Altun’s left ankle. Altun was used to healing most of her wounds with magic, that she had forgotten Reina’s touch was incredibly gentle when it came to things such as this. Dipping her fingers into the salve, Reina massaged slightly into the wound, taking heed of any winces of pain from Altun. However, Altun was simply calm, and she let her head drop onto Reina’s shoulder, her eyes fluttering shut. Reina was tired, but she imagined Altun was more so, especially with all the emotions she went through, and having to come to terms of possibly losing the person she cared for most. With a smile, Reina kept attending to the wound, reaching for a bandage from the pile Altun had. Carefully, she began to re wrap it, taking care to make sure it wasn’t pulled too tightly.

“You don’t have to do this you know.” Reina glanced down to where Altun’s head rest on her shoulder. She shook her head slightly, a small smile on her face.

“You can’t do everything yourself.” Reina replied with a small laugh. Altun let out a small laugh of her own. She supposed she was right, she couldn’t do everything on her own, although they both knew she was more than capable of it. Perhaps it was Reina’s special way of making sure Altun wasn’t doing everything on her own again, or going about straining herself like she had in the past. Sometimes it was okay to just let someone help you, to just rest. Altun was humming to herself, smiling as Reina made to tending to the the large gash in her knee now. The wounds in her skin would heal in time, but Altun knew that of all the outcomes possible, she was glad this is how it turned out. She shifted slightly, trying to be just ever so slightly closer to Reina.

It wasn’t very often that Reina didn’t say in her own room, but she had chose to on this occasion, instead, stay in Altun’s room. Altun had dozed off somewhere between when Reina had re bandaged her knee and when she was examining the cuts littered across her hands. Altun was clearly more exhausted than she had let on. Reina went to search through Altun’s pack for the small blanket she always kept when she traveled, one that was made for her by her mother when she was young. She draped it carefully over Altun as she slept soundly. In an attempt to not wake Altun from her slumber, Reina went about the room, packing up all the medical supplies Altun had taken out before hand to care for her wounds. Reina glanced back at Altun, who had curled herself into a ball, burrowing into her blanket. How could one person be so damn endearing she wondered. Reina retrieved another pillow from the a small pile Altun had deposited into a nearby corner and grabbed a book from her own pack. Setting the pillow down on the floor next to the bed, Reina seated herself and leaned against the end table slightly. She could have simply have sat at the desk, but she felt like she should sit on the floor next to the bed and watch over Altun to make sure she slept soundly.

Altun stirred sometime in the early morning hours, just before the sun had begun to rise. Sitting up carefully she glanced down to see Reina’s head propped carefully against the mattress, sound asleep. She carefully took her blanket and placed it over Reina. Altun stared out the door that lead to her balcony. She could see the sun beginning to paint the sky in all it’s brilliant colours, painting over the stars until night would allow their return again. Carefully, she pulled the covers loose from where they were tucked under the mattress and slipped under them. She rolled on her side and watched Reina for a few moments. With a small smile on her face, Altun’s eyes fluttered shut and she drifted back into a peaceful slumber.

Reina had some business to attend to with G’raha, and therefore had gotten up before Altun. When Altun did awake once more, she greeted to the sun shining through the open doors of her balcony. She assumed Reina had opened them before she left to meet with G’raha in the Ocular. Altun stretched carefully, in an attempt to not aggravate her wounds. She slid out from the warmth of her bed sheets and swung her legs over the edge of her bed. Altun walked about the room, gathering up her clothes and finding something suitable to wear, but nothing too heavy. She settled on an old set of clothing she had made a few years prior. While they were now more patches covering holes and tears more than anything else, they were still rather comfy to wear around casually. At least apposed to her traveling clothes, or any of her heavy armour.

Altun found herself wandering up by the Crystalline Mean once more, though this perhaps was due to all the crafting work she done in her time here on the First. She found it to be peaceful, and she either would find herself at the airship launch or perched on a a railing over looking Lakeland. While she probably could help, or find someway to help Reina with the tasks at hand, Altun found herself simply wishing to relax while she was able. Altun hummed to herself as she made her way down from the Crystalline Mean to towards the Cabinet of Curiosity. Today seemed like as good a day as any to get some reading in, or perhaps even collect a new book.

She found herself curled up in a chair next to the window with a book for several hours. Truthfully, she had simply lost track of all time. The sun had long begun to set when she felt a pair of hands cover her eyes. Altun let out a small sigh, though the smile on her face betrayed any sort of mock annoyance she could have had. There was a small laugh and the person it belonged to couldn’t even be mistaken, even if Altun had tried.

“Hello, Reina.” Altun said, though the smile never left her face. Carefully she ran her hand across the table to locate her bookmark, before sliding it into the book and closing it. She reached up and pulled Reina’s hands down from over her eyes. “Something I can assist with?” she asked, smiling up at her now. Reina let out a laugh.

“Not particularly. Was finished for the day, but you weren’t in your normal places.” Reina replied, before walking around to take the free chair next to Altun. She let go of Altun’s hand, but only for a moment just enough to make it less awkward of a position if she was gonna be here holding her hand. Altun hummed happily to herself, swaying slightly back and forth in her seat. “How are all your cuts and bruises?” she inquired, glancing at all the bandages on Altun’s hands.

“Oh, they’re alright. Nothing to worry your pretty little head over.” Reina let out a laugh that was somewhere between a snort and choked laughter. Altun was clearly feeling somewhat back to her normal self, brushing off small things. Reina felt Altun moving her thumb over the top of her hand slightly, light and gentle. “Truly though, I’m alright. I promise. I just felt like coming in to read today.” she gave a small nod in the direction of the book that was now closed on the table. Reina got up and moved her chair closer to Altun’s and opened the book up to where she had left off. She leaned her head down onto Altun’s shoulder, letting her eyes drift shut. Altun took this as a sign she could continue reading her book for a while longer.

When Altun returned to her inn room later that evening, Reina had insisted on following her once more. While she wasn’t going to argue, she didn’t think Reina truly had to make up excuses to spend more time with her. Altun had been filled in on the matters at hand. Her and Reina would be preparing the following day to return to the Source to update Tataru and Krile on the state of returning the Scions’ souls to their bodies. Everything would begin to get stressful and tiring again, and Altun was sure Reina, as much as herself, wanted some sort of reprise from the matters outside her in room. Altun was sitting at the table, fiddling with the orchestrian player, humming along to the songs. Reina had found herself leaning up against the railing outside on the balcony. She was watching Altun with a smile. She realized this was probably the first time she had seen Altun without the ribbon in her hair. Reina hadn’t realized how long it was.

Altun got up and waltzed across the room to where Reina was standing, now staring out over Lakeland. Reina could hear a song faintly playing inside, only assuming Altun had found the song she had wanted to listen to. The night sky was always so pretty to Altun. Reina was _always_ pretty to Altun. There was the actual night sky, then _her_ night sky. Altun glanced over at Reina, who simply gave her a smile. Leaning up against the railing next to Reina, she rested her head on her shoulder. Somehow they were always like this, though it was comfortable. It felt like home. Sure, the Crystarium was a home to them now, and the Source was their actual home, to each other, they also had a home. One meant only for them. It was the home they were truly meant to be. Whatever the dangers ahead, or the new challenges they faced, they had each other still at the end of the day. It was something they thought they wouldn’t have still when they woke up the previous day. Yet, they were both here. Both whole, and both home. It was truly enough.


End file.
